How the Democrats Sucker-Punched Labor

Posted on Jul 23, 2009

It was a foregone conclusion that Republicans and big business would fight tooth and nail against the proposed Employee Free Choice Act, the union bill that would make organizing easier, but in the end it was Democrats who killed it. The Socialist Worker, appropriately enough, has the most comprehensive take on the story to date.

Some readers might be inclined to dismiss analysis by socialist-anything, but they should put aside their suppositions and read this well-thought-out report with open minds. A key piece of legislation for working people appears to be dead, and the hand that holds the smoking gun is the same one that rests on the helm of corporate America.

Socialist Worker:

But with Senate Democrats now holding a 60-seat “filibuster proof” majority, EFCA’s killers needed the collusion of “moderate” and conservative Democratic senators—including Dianne Feinstein of California and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, the home state of anti-union behemoth Wal-Mart. Both reneged on earlier support for EFCA.

Behind this gang was a wider group of accessories—including other congressional Democrats and the White House, which failed to muster even a modest lobbying effort for EFCA.